1. What is a siggy?
   Another word for a signature, which is the small space under your post that can contain text and images.
   
   
2. How do I get a signature?
   Go to the bottom of the main forums page and click “Signature”.
   
   
3. Can I change my username?
   No, in order to do that, you need to make a new account.
   
   
4. How many accounts can I have?
   As many as you want, as long as you follow the Community Guidelines.
   
   
5. How do I follow someone?
   Go to their profile and click the blue “follow” button. To unfollow, do the same thing, except the button will be gray and say “unfollow”.
   
   
6. How do I become a scratcher?
   Be an active member of the community. Share projects, constructively comment on people's projects/profiles, and many other things similar to that. There are also some “behind-the-scenes” requirements to become one. You won't automatically be promoted to Scratcher, however. When the time has come, you should see a message in your inbox suggesting so.

1. Who's Kaj? Some people say he's a hacker!
   Kaj was a normal user who wanted to get more views. They started being mean and threatened to destroy Scratch. They were soon banned. People sometimes pretend to be Kaj by writing it as part of their username. Kaj was not really a hacker, though. That's just a myth.
   
   
2. What's with the whole April Fools' Day pranks?
   Every year, the Scratch Team comes up with a good idea for a Scratch prank. It's pretty much different every year. This is a list of all the pranks.
   
   
3. What about the semi-colon ( ; )?
   It was a glitch that was fixed back in 2013. People honor it in their signatures, and it was brought back for April Fools' Day 2014 and 2016. More info
   
   
4. People always type abbreviations, but I don't know what they mean. Help!
   There are lots of abbreviations on Scratch. For a full list of abbreviations and their meanings, go did you mean to put a link here?
   
   Abbreviations On The Forums: - @DeesABird
   
   CC: Colouring Contest
   FNaF: Five Nights At Freddy's
   AR: Art Request
   WIWO: What I'm Working On
   NT: New Topic
   FPC: Front Page Curator
   QaS: Questions About Scratch
   CP: Copied Project
   UT: Undertale
   WIP: Work in Progress
   CG: Community Guidelines
   MAP: Multiple Animator Project
   F4F: Follow For Follow
   RP: Roleplay
   ST: Scratch Team
   NS: New Scratcher
   RT: Remix Tree
   OP: Original Poster / Original Post
   AMV: Animated Music Video
   PMV: Picture Music Video
   AT: Art Trade / Advanced Topics
   

1. How do I make a topic?
   Go to the sub-forum you want to post in. In the upper-right hand corner, there is a blue button that says “New Topic”. Press that and make your post. Remember to read the stickies and put your topic in the correct sub-forum. Refer to this for forum descriptions.
   
   
2. What does OP stand for?
   OP stands for “Original Post” or “Original Poster”, depending on the context. Before you post on a topic, make sure you read the OP thoroughly so you don't miss any important details.
   
   
3. What are those cool colors called? How do I do them? I really want to center my post, too! Help!
   The forums are based on a thing called BBCode. This allows you to make smileys, Scratchblocks, quotes, and every other design feature. Color and alignment aren't listed in the top bar, but to do them, do this.
   
   For Color:
   

   [color=(color)] Text [/color]

   If I do that and replace (color) with my color, I can get Hi! I like red, do you?
   

   [color=red]Hi! I like red, do you?[/color]

   or…
   you can use “Hexadecimal” codes to get more complex colors!
   

   [color=(#hexcode)] Text [/color]

   If I do that and replace (#hexcode) with my hexadecimal code (remember to put a # in front), I can get Hi! I like mint green, do you?
   

   [color=#99ffcc]Hi! I like mint green, do you?[/color]

   Here's one website with a list of hex colors, but there are many, many more sites just like it.
   For a full list of supported colors, go here.
   
   For center:
   

   [center]Text[/center]

   outputs this:
   
   Text that is centered, wow!
   
   
   
4. How do I use Scratch blocks?
   On the text styling bar, there is a button that looks like a Scratch block. Click that to get the default blocks. However, to make your own blocks, there are some tricks you can use.
   Remember, you need

   [scratchblocks]...[/scratchblocks]

   those tags to make blocks.
   For a number input, type numbers in parenthesis this in the block.
   

   (some number)

   (17)

   For a dropdown, type this.
   

   [some option v]

   [some option v]

   For a variable, type words in parenthesis, like this.
   

   (hihi)

   (hihi)

   For a full tutorial, visit here.
   To test your Scratch blocks, go here.
   
   
5. How do I edit a post?
   On your post, next to “Report” and “Quote” there will be a button that says “Edit”. It's in the bottom-right hand corner of your post. New Scratchers can only edit their post until the page refreshes.
   
   
6. What is “bumping” and how do I do it?
   “Bumping” is the process of moving your post to the front page to gain more views and maintain activity. To “bump” a topic, post the words “bump”. You should only bump if your topic is off the front page and it has been a day since the last post.
   
   
7. How do I close a topic?
   When you post a topic, you have to wait 24 hours before you can close it. After 24 hours, below the “submit” button is another button that says “Close Topic”. Alternatively, you can report the first post and ask the Scratch Team to close it for you.
   

1. Can I make a chatroom?
   It depends. You need to use a whitelist chat, which is a list that tells the program what words the user can use. A blacklist chat, which tells the program what words the user can't use, are not allowed because there are many workarounds to bad words and a user who presses “See Inside” will be overwhelmed.
   Also, private chatrooms (or channels) are not allowed because they cannot be moderated by other Scratchers or the Scratch Team.
   
   
2. I made a really cool game, but I shared it and got reported. What happened?
   Scratch is a website for everyone, including younger audiences. Violent and gory things that typical parents do not want their children to see are not allowed. If it doesn't scare you, it still could freak out your younger cousin. Simple cartoon actions are allowed, like shooting a toy gun, but just as long as it's not extreme. If you see anything beyond this, please report it immediately.
   
   
3. How do I get my project featured?
   To get your project featured, other people have to notice it and like it. Then they have to suggest it to be featured. Unfortunately, you can't suggest your own project to be featured.
   
   
4. How do I suggest another project to be featured?
   To suggest a project to be featured, visit this link and read over the guidelines in the OP.
   
   
5. How do I get my studio featured?
   Unlike projects, you are allowed to request for your own studio to be featured, or someone else can suggest it.
   

1. What is spam?
   Spam is text/images that don't belong in a and don't contribute to a topic. There are many types of spam, but the most popular are necroposting, advertising and block/smiley spam. For more info, go here.
   
   
2. What is necroposting?
   Some topics aren't closed when they are resolved, or simply went inactive and forgotten. When posting, check the date of the last post. If it is over 3 months ago, the topic is considered “dead”. By posting on it, you would be necroposting.
   
   
3. What's advertising?
   Advertising is when you advertise your project in the wrong place. For example: You commented “See my project FROG JUMP” on a featured project. This is advertising because the comment section of a project is to talk about that specific project, not to advertise other projects. If you want to get your project noticed, go to the Show and Tell forum.
   
   
4. What's a troll?
   A person who spams constantly just to disrupt the community.
   
   
5. I got a message saying I was reported. What did I do?
   You would most likely be alerted with a message explaining what you did, and why it is not allowed. Whatever you did will have broken the Community Guidelines. That is a list of things you can and cannot do on Scratch. Everyone makes mistakes, so if you get warned once, that is okay. If you get alerted numerous times, you may be banned.
   
   
6. What is getting “banned?"
   If you get alerted enough times, the Scratch Team may decide to block/ban you. You won't be allowed to use your Scratch account for a period of time. Do not make another account to escape the ban; this is called “bypassing a ban” and it will extend the amount of time you are banned for.
   
   
7. What is a “perma-ban?”
   If a situation is serious enough, the Scratch Team may permanently ban a user, and the only way to be able to use Scratch again is to appeal to the ST through Contact Us.
   
   
8. What is an “IP ban?”
   An IP ban is when the Scratch Team bans the IP address that you were using when you were banned, to ensure that you don't use other accounts to avoid the ban. Anyone trying to log in from your computer will not be able to, even if it isn't you.
   

1. Will I be hacked?
   No, Scratch is super secure and nobody has ever been actually hacked. If you were ‘hacked,’ someone like a classmate or sibling probably saw your password. Make sure you have a good password that's hard to guess but easy to remember. A good password has numbers and letters.
   
   
2. What is following?
   Let's say you like the kinds of projects @Us-er-Z makes. You can follow them and get updates every time that user does something, like share a new project, favorite a project, follow a different user, and more.
   

alexphan wrote:

Cool! Reporting it to be stickied

Maybe add this:

9. How do I close a topic?
When you post a topic, you have to wait 24 hours before you can close it. After 24 hours, below the “submit” button is another button that says “close topic”. Alternatively, you can report the first post and ask the Scratch Team to close it for you.

Cameron_Johnson wrote:

There's already a FAQ. I don't know if saw it or not but you can add stuff from there if you're missing anything

How do I become a Scratcher?
Be an active member of the community. Share projects, constructively comment on people's projects/profiles, and many other things similar to that. You won't automatically be promoted to Scratcher, however. There are some “behind-the-scenes” requirements to become one.

When the time has come, you should see a message in your inbox suggesting so.


Trends

1. Who's Kaj? Some people say he is a hacker! Am I in danger?
   Kaj was a typical user that wanted to get more views. They started being rude and threatened to destroy Scratch. Eventually, the user was banned. People sometimes pretend to be Kaj by inserting it in their forum posts, and some other ways. Kaj is not really a hacker, though. That was just a myth.
   
   
2. What about the semi-colon ( ; )?
   It was an odd glitch that was fixed back in 2013. People honor the glitch in their signatures, and it was brought back for some April Fool's pranks by the Scratch Team. More info
   
   

Topics

1. How do I make a topic?
   Go to the sub-forum you want to post in. Found in the upper-right hand corner, there is a blue button that says “New Topic.” Press that and create your post. Please remember to read the stickies and post in the correct forum. Refer to this for forum descriptions.
   
   
2. How do I edit a post?
   New Scratchers are not able to edit posts. However, if you have the Scratcher rank, under your post (at the bottom right corner), next to “Report” and “Quote”, there will be a button that says “Edit.”
   
   
3. What is “bumping” and how do I do it?
   “Bumping” is the process of moving your post to the front page or hopefully maintaining activity. To “bump” a topic, simply post something with “bump.” You should not do this more than once a day, or if the topic is fairly active.
   
   
4. How do I close a topic?
   First, you must wait 24 hours since the original post was posted. After that time period, at the bottom of the page, there is a grey button that reads “Close Topic.” Alternatively, you can report a post and ask the Scratch Team to close it for you.
   
   
5. What is necroposting?
   Some topics aren't closed when they are resolved, or simply they have went inactive. Before posting on a random discussion, please check the most recent post if it's more than three months old. If it is, the topic is considered “dead”, and you are discouraged to bring it back up.
   

Projects

1. Can I make a chatroom in my project?
   It really depends. You need to use a whitelist chat, which is a list that tells the program what users can say. A blacklist chat, which tells the program what not to use, are not allowed as simply Scratchers can “See Inside” and be overwhelmed.
   
   Also, private chatrooms (or channels) are not allowed because they cannot be moderated by other Scratchers or the Scratch Team.
   
   
2. I made a really cool shooting game, but I shared it and got reported. What happened?
   Scratch is a website for everyone, including younger audiences. Violent and gory things that typical parents do not want their children to see, are not allowed. Simple cartoon actions are allowed, like shooting a toy gun, but just as long as it's not extreme. If you see anything beyond this, please report it immediately.
   

General Questions

1. I got a message saying I was reported. What did I do?
   You would most likely be alerted with a message explaining what you did, and why it is not allowed. What you did most likely broke what we have that's called the Community Guidelines. That is a list of things you can and cannot do on Scratch. Everyone makes mistakes, so if you get warned once, that is okay. If you get alerted numerous times, you may get banned for resisting the Guidelines.
   
   
2. My friend got banned! I'm scared I'm going to get blocked, too. What is getting “banned” anyways?
   If you get alerted enough times, the Scratch Team may decide to ban you. You won't be allowed to use your Scratch account (or log in from a certain location). To get it back, you have to appeal to the Scratch Team. They may or may not let you back on after that. Please don't make another account to bypass that, though. This is called “bypassing a ban” and that is prohibited (and will reduce the chances of you being allowed back in.)

1. Tweaked a few things such as grammar, and further explained some answers.
   

Austinato wrote:

-snip-

Tweaked a few things such as grammar, and further explained some answers.

Bright-Idea wrote:

Austinato wrote:

-snip-

Tweaked a few things such as grammar, and further explained some answers.

Thanks! I was doing this at like 9 at night and then half the thing got deleted and, it was terrible. Spelling and Grammar weren't the most important things on my mind, so thanks for taking the time to edit it.

storytellergirl_test wrote:

Wow! great job! i'm also reporting this to get stickied.

storytellergirl_test wrote:

oh, and thanks for linking to my ‘what is a kumquat?’ thread.

GlassGalaxy wrote:

This is should be stickied!

You could also mention that you can also put hex codes in the color tag.

I made a really cool shooting game, but I shared it and got reported. What happened?
Scratch is a website for everyone, including younger audiences. Violent and gory things that typical parents do not want their children to see, are not allowed. If it doesn't scare you, it still could freak out your younger cousin. Simple cartoon actions are allowed, like shooting a toy gun, but just as long as it's not extreme. If you see anything beyond this, please report it immediately.